13 May 2017

Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida said he is not looking to immediately revise war-renouncing Article 9 of the Constitution.

"I'm not thinking about amending Article 9 immediately," Kishida told a meeting on May 11 of Kochikai, a ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) faction he leads.

He thus expressed his dovish view, which has been Kochikai's tradition, clarifying differences with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who has recently proposed to revise the clause, while also displaying his enthusiasm about succeeding Abe after the prime minister's tenure is over.

At a faction seminar in October 2015, Kishida said the government drew a conclusion on the security legislation by discussing what Japan is allowed to do under Article 9. "We shouldn't immediately consider revising Article 9, on which the legislation is based," he said.

Kishida also stated, "I had said we should wait and see to ascertain achievements to be brought about by the peace and security legislation, and my idea remains unchanged."